Recently
my wife Linda and I had the pleasure of traveling to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho to
enjoy the newly renovated Coeur d’ Alene Resort. Established in 1991,
this world class resort offers golf, dining and world class spa that is perfect
for a pleasure trip or business meeting.
From our home in Danville, it is an easy 2 hour direct flight to Spokane airport on Southwest Airlines. You can arrange a driver to pick you up for a $69.00 round trip fee or rent a car to get to the resort. It is an easy 30 minute drive from the airport. We chose to use the driver service. The resort hotel has just been totally renovated and upon arrival you receive a warm welcome from the attentive, happy friendly staff dressed in knickers.
We stayed in the Lake View Tower. Our 16th floor room had a stunning view of Lake Coeur d’Alene complete with a balcony, fireplace, new carpet and very comfortable bed.
We enjoyed a tour of the property, spa and especially enjoyed the water taxi that takes you to the golf course with it’s famous floating green golf hole.
The world class spa offers a variety of services. A golf massage before or after you play is highly recommended.
A variety of dining choices include casual dining overlooking the floating green to fine dining at Beverly’s overlooking the lake. Beverly's was named after resort owner Duane Hagadone's mother.
We chose to dine at Beverly's and were not disappointed. Before dinner, we experienced a wine tour and tasting that happens each night at 4:30. The 2 million dollar wine cellar is the largest in the Northwest and offers a wide variety of world class wines including a 1945 Chateau Latour that sells for $10,000. If you bring your own wine, it is a $20.00 corking fee.
The iconic restaurant has been rated in the top 60 restaurants in America to “dine before you die.”
Chef Jim Barrett and Manager Annie Megofna made our food experience very special with attentive service and a variety of food choices. Located on the 7th floor of the Lake Tower with stunning views of the sun setting over the lake enhanced this divine dining experience.
We began our dinner with 2 perfect manhattans and warm orange marmalade and sour dough rolls from the on site bakery. Chef Jim told us he was originally from Michigan, as we are, and we instantly bonded.. We were going to order New Zealand Lamb Chops and Copper River Salmon but Chef Jim suggested that he personally prepare a variety of entrees from his extensive menu.
With a picture perfect presentations, we enjoyed a variety of foodie delights. Some of the items were masterfully crafted crab cakes, tender and elegant elk chops, melt in your mouth scallops, beef with a heavenly whip cream like horseradish sauce, finely dusted calamari, and fresh ahi flown in from Hawaii. Everything was very special and "simply" sensational.
For dessert, Chef Jim recommended the signature and sinful chocolate and huckleberry souffle's and beignets as “must do’s.” They take 30 minutes to prepare allowing your dinner to settle and extra enjoyment of the stunning views.
The next morning, we enjoyed golfing on the 6800 yard perfectly manicured golf course. The driving range has panoramic views of the lake and an on site masseuse to loosen up your golfing muscles.
The golf course has a variety of tee choices to meet all levels of golfing skills. Linda found the lady tees to be very friendly.
We especially enjoyed the famous floating green hole and were very pleased to avoid depositing too many golf balls into the lake. A golf taxi takes you to the green and it plays between 99 and 200 yards depending on the tee. In addition, a knowledgeable fore caddy is assigned to each group to advise you on yardage, reading putts and help speed up play. A $25.00 gratuity per bag is recommended.
From our home in Danville, it is an easy 2 hour direct flight to Spokane airport on Southwest Airlines. You can arrange a driver to pick you up for a $69.00 round trip fee or rent a car to get to the resort. It is an easy 30 minute drive from the airport. We chose to use the driver service. The resort hotel has just been totally renovated and upon arrival you receive a warm welcome from the attentive, happy friendly staff dressed in knickers.
We stayed in the Lake View Tower. Our 16th floor room had a stunning view of Lake Coeur d’Alene complete with a balcony, fireplace, new carpet and very comfortable bed.
We enjoyed a tour of the property, spa and especially enjoyed the water taxi that takes you to the golf course with it’s famous floating green golf hole.
The world class spa offers a variety of services. A golf massage before or after you play is highly recommended.
A variety of dining choices include casual dining overlooking the floating green to fine dining at Beverly’s overlooking the lake. Beverly's was named after resort owner Duane Hagadone's mother.
We chose to dine at Beverly's and were not disappointed. Before dinner, we experienced a wine tour and tasting that happens each night at 4:30. The 2 million dollar wine cellar is the largest in the Northwest and offers a wide variety of world class wines including a 1945 Chateau Latour that sells for $10,000. If you bring your own wine, it is a $20.00 corking fee.
The iconic restaurant has been rated in the top 60 restaurants in America to “dine before you die.”
Chef Jim Barrett and Manager Annie Megofna made our food experience very special with attentive service and a variety of food choices. Located on the 7th floor of the Lake Tower with stunning views of the sun setting over the lake enhanced this divine dining experience.
We began our dinner with 2 perfect manhattans and warm orange marmalade and sour dough rolls from the on site bakery. Chef Jim told us he was originally from Michigan, as we are, and we instantly bonded.. We were going to order New Zealand Lamb Chops and Copper River Salmon but Chef Jim suggested that he personally prepare a variety of entrees from his extensive menu.
With a picture perfect presentations, we enjoyed a variety of foodie delights. Some of the items were masterfully crafted crab cakes, tender and elegant elk chops, melt in your mouth scallops, beef with a heavenly whip cream like horseradish sauce, finely dusted calamari, and fresh ahi flown in from Hawaii. Everything was very special and "simply" sensational.
For dessert, Chef Jim recommended the signature and sinful chocolate and huckleberry souffle's and beignets as “must do’s.” They take 30 minutes to prepare allowing your dinner to settle and extra enjoyment of the stunning views.
The next morning, we enjoyed golfing on the 6800 yard perfectly manicured golf course. The driving range has panoramic views of the lake and an on site masseuse to loosen up your golfing muscles.
The golf course has a variety of tee choices to meet all levels of golfing skills. Linda found the lady tees to be very friendly.
We especially enjoyed the famous floating green hole and were very pleased to avoid depositing too many golf balls into the lake. A golf taxi takes you to the green and it plays between 99 and 200 yards depending on the tee. In addition, a knowledgeable fore caddy is assigned to each group to advise you on yardage, reading putts and help speed up play. A $25.00 gratuity per bag is recommended.
In conclusion, the renovated resort is a slice of heaven and offers many travel packages to make your visit unique and special.
The “bad news” is that it is sad to leave this renovated refuge and escape from the rigors of modern life. The “good news” is that we are looking forward to a return visit.
For more information and to make reservations, go to Coeur d’Alene. com
